William Erickson received an honorary degree from his alma mater, Colorado School of Mines. He was appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court in 1971 and served as chief justice from 1983-1985.

Denver City Attorney Wallace J. Wortham, Jr., was the recipient of the University of Colorado Law School Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement, Public Sector.

John W. Suthers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado, named William J. Leone the first assistant United State Attorney.

Edward A. Robinson and Gregory Kellam Scott were honorary chairs of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center for their annual dinner.

William D. Meyer, member of Hutchinson, Black and Cook, recently returned from Kenya after spending two weeks working with the Law Society of Kenya developing a compulsory continuing legal education program and working on disciplinary matters.

Marcia Chadwick Holt, Luis D. Rovira, G. Lane Earnest and John W. Dunn have been named Life Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.

Marcia Krieger was appointed a Colorado U.S. District Court Judge.

IN THE NEWS:

The Denver Post did a nice profile about Supreme Court Justice Mary Mullarkey living and working with multiple sclerosis.

Colorado Trial Lawyers Executive Director John Sadwith was mentioned in Penny Parker’s Rocky MountainNews column in April when she reported on CTLA’s annual spring dinner. CTLA gave awards to William Keating for lifetime achievement, Gregory Gold as Young Trial Lawyer of the Year, and Westword Editor Patty Calhoun with the Consumer Protection Award.

Penny also got the scoop at The Palm Restaurant when someone in Colorado Bar Association President-Elect John Moye’s large party ripped his picture off the wall. No one has yet fessed up to the crime.

John Brown and Ned Minor authored a column for the Rocky Mountain News about exit strategies for companies in April.

Cynthia M. Beyer-Ulrich is the assistant county attorney at the Jefferson County Attorney’s office.

Vivienne Kramer is the regional client development director for public accounting firm Gordon, Hughes and Banks.

McGuane and Hogan announces new partner Brenda L. Storey.

Bostrom Sands & Sander announces that R. Daniel Scheid is a partner.

LAW SCHOOLS:

Students in the University of Denver College of Law Student Law Office’s Civil Litigation Clinic are representing predatory lending victims. They work with consumer and community groups and credit unions to protect homeowners and prosecute predatory lenders.

U.S. News & World Report released the: "2003 Best Graduate Schools" rankings. The University of Denver’s College of Law improved its ranking as one of the nation’s top law schools, and has jumped to the second tier. DU’s specialized law degree programs remained in the top 25, with environmental law ranked 17 and tax law tied with the University of California-Berkeley and Villanova University at 22.

On May 11, the University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law graduated 162 students. Charles Wilkinson, who received the Hazel Barnes Prize, gave the commencement address. He received this award due to his advocacy for American Indian and western environmental legal issues.

Hoffman Reilly Pozner & Williamson announces Van Aaron Hughes and Beth L. Krulewitch joined the firm Of Counsel and Iris E. Bell has become an associate.

ADDED TO ‘NOT RETIRED’ LIST:

Here’s another attorney to add to our ever-lengthening list of not retired: Michael A. Williams writes he has not retired. He is practicing as Michael A. Williams LLC, Private Dispute Resolution, as an arbitrator and mediator, which has been his sideline for many years, but is now his "principal activity." Contact him at (303) 785-7999, 950 17th St., Suite 1700 Denver, CO 80202.

Paul R. Franke III and Charles Greenhouse combined to form Murray Franke Greenhouse List & Lippit. They’re in the Granite Building at 1228 15th St., Denver, CO 80202. Their phone is (303) 623-4500 and fax is (303) 623-0960. They’ve added Bradley J. Haight as special counsel and Jennifer L. Arthur and William H. Eikenberry as associates.

The firm will focus on finance, real estate, corporate and commercial transactions, and litigation.

A POEM:

Ahem . . . "Lorraine E. Parker’s old law firm is sad she has departed, but wishes her the best of luck in the new place she has started. We watched her with admiration (She’s usually a winner). Now the thing that bothers us is we might end up agin’ her!" from Montogomery, Kolodny, Amatuzio & Dusabek. Lorraine is now with Leventhal Brown & Puga. Her number is (303) 759-9945 and lparker@leventhal-law.com.

PASSED:

Sam Berman died April 10. He practiced real estate and estate law for 63 years before retiring, and is the father of three attorneys, Laurence, Martha and John, among his five children. He was one of the founders of Attorneys’ Title in the early ’60s.

Denver defense attorney Theresa Brake died in May. Reporter Sue Lindsay of the News said she, " spent most of her career in the public defender’s office, carving out a reputation as a tough, competent champion of her client’s rights."

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White died April 15. As a leader around the nation and here in Colorado, he will be missed.

Kids say the Darndest things:

John Sadwith of the Colorado Trial Lawyers went to Eaglecreek High School in Aurora to visit with ninth graders in May. Here are some of the excerpts from thank you notes he received:

"You show a good example of being a lawyer . . . and you still have a good sense of humor (By the way, I thought your jokes were pretty funny, AFTER I got them)."

A different student wrote: "I was aware of the bar exam to get to become a lawyer, but I didn’t know that what you learn in school doesn’t relate to the test."

Another student: "Thank you for coming to share about being a lawyer, it’s advantages and disadvantages. I once wanted to be a lawyer, but now that I know more about the position, I think it would be too much for me."

The Docket’s personal favorite: "I thought that it was good advice when you told us they (lawyers) charge by the hour or by a percentage, I think I’ll do it by a percentage."